Friday, July 26, 2013

The Eastern Comedian

'The Eastern Comedian' was a well-known name in the alleys of Kolkata in the early 20th century. He used to do his shows for free and to entertain poor people. One day, he was noticed by some European tourists who were amazed by how he used his bodily gestures to convey a situation hilariously. These tourists took back the memories of his amazing performance with them.

Soon, he was signed up by a popular European theater house. The signing amount was a meager one; but money did not matter to our 'Teko Buro' -a name he was fondly given by the people back home when he had done a hilarious caricature of a bald old man. He used cheap props to look like the old man, and it emerged out as one of his funniest gigs. (Teko Buro means 'a bald old man' in Bengali)

His European tour became a success and he went on to do shows in other countries. People loved The Eastern Comedian. They enjoyed when he tried to offend the rich with his mimicry.He was touted to become a legend, until one night, he experienced a cerebral attack, that left him paralytic for the next decade. By the time he was fit to perform, the newer generation wouldn't recognize him anymore. Heartbroken, he returned to Kolkata and took up a job as a clerk.

Decades passed by. Our comedian was an old man now. He had a hunchback posture (the effects of the paralysis) and clear signs of old age. People called him 'Teko Buro' because of his appearance now. Nobody seemed to remember him as 'The Eastern Comedian' anymore.

But he had faith in himself that if given a chance, he'd gleefully reprise the role of 'Teko Buro' without any props this time.